" ...That is if you can get used to the controls. "

      Title: Syphon Filter 3 by Sony

      Format: PS One, 3rd Person Shooter

      Reviewing Monkey: Simi N.

      The Hype: Re-live the past events of several characters as they recount them to Vance Hadden, at a congressional hearing on your characters' involvement in the emergence of the Syphon Filter Virus. Use several weapons both real and fantasy in missions located in 19 international environments. Be careful not to injure your allies in deadly crossfire's. Enhance your battle skills with the new mini games, and take on your friends in two-player mode.

      What This Monkey Thought...

      Graphics: Like most recent PS One games, the graphics in this one are quite good. The character models are well designed, and move very fluidly. Although the game runs at a lackluster frame-rate there is little evidence of slowdown. The only problem is that a lot of the environments you find yourself in are pretty bland. Don't get me wrong, there is great variety in the locales of the missions, but once you are in a particular area, some of them can get pretty generic. Although where a lot of textures are used they are well done. 3.5 out of 5.

      Sound: One of the better parts of the game is the sound. The game has a good variety of very clear sounds from gunfire, to the people reloading guns, to just running through the jungle. One of the cooler things about the sound is the voice acting. Where as in most games the makers seem to search for people who couldn't act their ways out of a paper bag, the acting in the game is damn good. There is actually feeling placed into it so it seems as if the people in the story actually care about what's going on. And finally the music in the game is very well suited. It is intense and emotional. Just the kind of soundtrack that this game needs. 5 out of 5.

      Playability: This is where the biggest problem falls for me. The game controls are just not intuitive and you aren't able to configure them yourself. The trouble is that you move and turn with one analog stick and strafe and look with the other, what the hell! I still can't figure out why these games keep coming out this way I mean I guarantee there will be people who turn away from games just because the controls are funky. Anyway (now that I'm off my rant) if you take the time, you can get used to the controls (though they will never be totally comfortable) and once you do you will find that the game is very responsive and becomes quite fun in a hurry. The game plays like most of its kind with the camera being situated behind your character as you use your crosshair and strafing skills to pick off enemies up close and at a distance with your multitude of weapons. The funniest part is collecting new weapons and finding out how to use them efficiently. Some really cool parts are the mini games that you can play, if for some reason you get stuck or bored in mission mode, or you just want a change of pace. 3.5 out of 5.

      Multiplayer and Replayability: The multiplayer is pretty sweet. Normally I would be upset that it doesn't support more than two players, the player screen areas would get awfully small with a the third person view. As it stands the two player mode is quite fun. There are cool weapons to use on each other and plenty of locations in which to shoot the hell out of each other. The biggest problem is that the controls will take new people a while to get used to and thus if you are already proficient at the game you will kick their asses far too often. As far as replayability goes, the game is really fun, but is fairly long and since there aren't any crazy alternate endings or completion percentages there is really no reason to go through the whole thing all over again. 3.5 out of 5.

      Story/Dramatics: Definitely the high point of this game. The best part about the story is the way in which it is told. Rather than following one character along in chronological order, the story takes you through the events of several characters as they relive past missions in a congressional testimony where Vance Hadden is trying to ascertain what the agents have to do with the deadly Syphon Filter Virus. The story is well thought out and gripping as your characters' freedom hangs in the balance. 4.5 out of 5.

      The Verdict:

This game is certainly worth playing. The controls aren't the best ever and will take some getting used to but once you get past that the game starts with a really cool story and responsive controls. And hell you gotta love games where you and a friend can go at it together.

      The Good: The graphics are on par, great sound effects and voice acting, the music is very fitting, tons of cool weapons to use, and the story is great.

      The Bad: The controls in the game are counterintuitive for me, and you can't completely configure them to your liking, and the frame-rate leaves some to be desired.

      The Overall Ugly: You should definitely give this game a shot even if you haven't played the previous Syphon Filter games this one is easy to get into. That is if you can get used to the controls.

      What it's Worth: Market